In the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a friend. Because my friend was interested in starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had planned a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the student accommodation, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side known as International House. Once we unpacked, we went directly to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He asked me what I did, and I shared that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been conducting research using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – adjacent to the engineering faculty, which was how he knew about it. He recommended that I should apply for a role with them. I dismissed the idea, telling him that I was soon departing to Europe and, additionally, I lacked a US visa.
The following day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that night. The Iraqi student approached me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had gone to the trouble, I went to the meeting – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was likely not a suitable candidate.
As is common in NYC – a place where opportunities abound – she said: “We can make that happen. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. One of the benefits was that I also received free tuition at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a master’s of international affairs.
I lost touch with him and I don’t even know his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I would never have had the bravery or self-assurance to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had consistently hoped to take classes in another country, but could never have afforded it without that free tuition.
Critically, that job in New York led me to a job in Zurich where I encountered my handsome spouse from France, with whom I am raising a family of four kids. This was a pivotal life event. That kind stranger changed my trajectory in life, and I’m eternally thankful.
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